case discussion
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Liberty University *
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Religion
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by AdmiralAlbatrossMaster906
Case study discussion
First post:
As someone who believes in facts over fiction in every situation, I believe it is crucial to find any data relevant to any piece of scripture/historical event. While some texts in the bible can
be open to interpretation, I think it's important to research facts about the particular time period, during a particular event, happening to a particular people.1 Understanding the Son of Man's message to the church of Laodicea takes some historical context to understand exactly what he meant by, "he will spit him out of his mouth."2 If I was in this case study, I would want to explore the facts of Sharon's argument a bit further. If the water the people of Laodicea channeled from the hot springs of the Hieropolis did arrive lukewarm, is it possible the Son of Man was saying that it just wasn't useful? That there are other ways in which the people of Laodicea could stand out amoung the three cities? We have to remember as well, the words written in the original text could be very different than the translated English text we are learning
from. Either way, we have to honor the text we have by diving further into the cultural significance and historical context. "True, there may be ambiguity in our perception of what the Bible says. But this doesn’t mean that everything we read in it is cast in doubt. From New Testament times forward, we can trace a core of conviction about the central message of Scripture."3 I think this means that everything we read in the New Testament can be routed back to the main themes of the Old Testament. We can find the meaning of all things through Scripture that has come before it. In this case study, for example, we are talking about a passage from the last book in the New Testament, Revelation. If we dig deep into the text that came before it, we could decipher the message of the man and discover God's meaning behind it. "A devotional interpretation may read the New Testament with little regard for historical
considerations, seeking instead a word of encouragement or mystical guidance. A literary interpretation may examine how formal features like plot and structure help us understand a book’s message."4 Daniel and Sharon both have a particular understanding of the Scripture they chose to talk about and it all derives from the perspective at which they are seeing the text from.
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[1] The Scandal of Particularity
[2] Case Study
[3] Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, Third Edition, Chapter 1,5
[4] ibid, 15
[1] The Scandal of Particularity, https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/127806/pages/watch-
the-scandal-of-particularity?module_item_id=16924424
[2] Case Study, https://canvas.liberty.edu/courses/127806/pages/read-case-study?
module_item_id=16924404
[3] Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, Third Edition, Chapter 1,5
[4] Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, Third Edition, Chapter 1,15
Replies:
Sean Beck
Thank you for the share it was insightful. I share in the idea that understanding the roots of a context makes the difference when it comes to interpretation, [1] distances must be negotiated, time, culture, language and geography are crucial factors that makes the difference when reading and interpreting a context from the past and bringing it back to the present. As you mentioned it is important to remember that the words written in the original text might be different when translated to our English and lead towards a different interpretation due to culture and era. As the authors Elwell and Yarbrough mentioned in their book “A related danger, and an enemy of study is the notion that because the Holy Spirit influences our lives, he will somehow fill us with knowledge of the New Testament’s truth without our having to work at mastering ourselves”. As mere human saved by Jesus Christ from our original sin we must remember to not
be prideful in believing that we automatically understand the passages in the bible and be careful into falling in misinterpreting its context, but it also depends on what angle the readers perspectives derives from as he gives the interpretation as you mentioned at the last sentence, either an historical interpretation or devotional interpretation, I might be wrong. Thank you I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning more.
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[1] Robert Wayne Stacy, “The Necessity of Negotiating Distances”
Paul Walker Discussion Thread Response
I reviewed the thread of Sean. Sean give a good understanding of how he felt toward fact and fiction. I also fee that having the truth to use as a frame of reference is important. I do agree with him in that some texts are open to interpretation. But we must realize that it is not for us to add to or take away from any part of the biblical texts. We can read that there are messages
to the seven churches. Each church had their own message in which the LORD judged them according to the works in which they were involved in. The church of Laodicea allowed itself to not be headed for the intended purpose that the LORD created the church to be. The original interpretation will explain the intended purpose of the message. I feel that the LORD had the main idea to confront the church and explain to them that while they could have so many other things such as fame, riches, and great standing in the countryside. The most important thing is getting things right with HIM. We live in times in which no one wants to offend anyone. Most people enjoy taking a middle of the road approach to most things. But we don't serve a middle of the road GOD.